The Winter Rose
by SoaringHellButterfly
Summary: In a way, his heart is like a flower. When he was young, the flower was still a seed. As he grew, the seed became a bud. The flower shall bloom when it's ready. But the flower is yet to be decided. HitsuMatsu. One-shot.


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Yo. This would've been a nice story to have been posted during winter, but I only thought of it last night. Lol. Anyway, this story is describing changes in Rangiku and Toshiro, and Rangiku's thoughts on him and his heart. I love the intro, I felt like a poet. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Don't own bleach, don't remind me. T_T

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_**The Winter Rose**_

_In a way, his heart is like a flower._

_When he was young, the flower was still a seed._

_As he grew, the seed became a bud._

_The flower shall bloom when it's ready._

_But the flower is yet to be decided._

_Could be a Daffodil, a Daisy, a Lily, a Chrysanthemum, anything._

_But to me, the flower will match his personality._

_Icy and cool, with a root of beauty._

It was Winter. The cold front hit and before everyone knew it, snow was drifting from the white heavens. It was the first snow of the season. The snow gathered on the ground and soon the entire Soul Society was covered in snow.

Matsumoto stared out the window. The sun, hidden behind the clouds, was setting for the evening. You could tell through the light of the sky in the western area. She once again looked over to her Taicho's desk.

He has been gone since it started snowing...

She didn't know why though. It was normal this morning. The snow began slow, and a few snowflakes floated by their window. Matsumoto had let out an eager gasp and notified him that it was snowing.

He immediately put his ink-brush down and walked to the window. "Perfect." He murmured with a small smile and walked towards the door.

When Matsumoto asked where he was going, he simply replied, "I'm going hunting,"

She had no idea what that meant, but he was gone before she could ask. And he's been gone ever since. It's been almost twelve hours since he left. More and more snow was falling now. Rangiku couldn't help but think of an important fact as she watched the snow fall outside the window.

It's been a whole year since the Winter War...

She felt the entire Soul Society had changed drastically since the war actually ended. But none of those changes could compare to the change in her and her Taicho's relationship.

After some months, she noticed her Taicho was different. At least to her.

Rangiku watched her Taicho more closely. She duly noted that he acted different in public than he did when he was alone with her. For example, one day, when it was raining, he came into the office with his hair damp and drenched. The spikes, usually up and... spiky, were now hanging in his face.

When Rangiku saw this, she couldn't help but find his new look humorous and incredibly attractive.

"Hey Taicho, I like your hair down, makes you look sexy." She teased with a grin. He glared at her, his cheeks reddening and he turned around and muttered, "Thanks." before opening the door and walking down the hall. She figured to go fix his hair.

From down the hall she heard someone uttering a similar comment and he roared an order for them to shut up. She couldn't help but laugh.

They talked more too. Their conversations went further than they would if they were discussed with someone else, they wouldn't go as far. But if they were to hold a trivia about the other, they'd most surely win. Even if it was a personal question about the person.

Rangiku felt there were no secrets between them. She assumed he felt so too. She liked the fact he felt close enough to her that he would reveal personal things about him to her.

She can't give examples because they're private and she swore not to tell...

Another thing worth mentioning is they hung out together even outside the office. He would sometimes join her when she went out, to bars, to run errands, even to shop but that was a rare occurrence.

And the thing, or things, that she treasured most, was the warm moments they shared...

Like the time he came into her home one night, and asked if he could stay with her. She didn't ask him what the problem was, but simply smiled and lifted the blanket for him to join her. He stayed with her all night.

Or the time she was drunk and ran into a group of thugs who tried to take advantage of her. She was too far under to fight for herself but she did see that as soon as one of the thugs reached for her, ice encased his arms. The rest was a blur but she did remember being carried home, and waking up in her own bed, with her Taicho's coat as the blanket.

Or the time they were on a mission to the world of the living and Orihime invited them to a celebration party for their victory from the war. She considered going with her Taicho a 'date'. But the fun part was when Orihime put on some slow music, and Toshiro asked her to dance.

Oh yeah, those times were great.

But they could not compare to the time her Taicho accidentally slipped on a sheet of paper and fell forward onto the couch, and on top of her. It all happened so fast, neither saw it coming. The didn't make a move. All they could do was stare at each other, their faces burning red, their eyes wide, and their breathing fast. Until he finally made a move and inched his lips to hers. She closed her eyes and awaited it until the door busted opened and Renji had to come bounding in. Luckily Hitsugaya had sensed it and sped off her before Renji came bursting in.

That was the first time they had been so intimately close, and almost kissed.

It was a little awkward for a while. But eventually it all went back to normal. But neither of them ever forgot it. And she thought of it all the time. She often wondered if he thought of it too.

She treasured those moments when they were so close. Because of all those moments, she felt protective of him. So when he left this morning she became concerned. Because when he leaves, he always tells her where he's going. But when he simply said he was going hunting, it left her confused.

The work day finally ended, and since her Taicho still hadn't shown up, she decided to go home. She turned the lights off and headed home. It was freezing cold when she got outside.

She knew her Taicho loved this kind of weather, she did too. But the similarities between him and Winter were so amazing, and it wasn't because of the element of his zanpakuto. She would understand if he left work just to go enjoy the weather, but that wouldn't answer the whole 'hunting' thing.

She sighed, her breath coming out in clouds, and turned the corner, saying goodnight to the shinigami she passed. She loved the feeling and the sound of the snow crunching under he feet. And she loved the sight of snow everywhere, and the icicles hanging gracefully from the buildings. They way the snow would sparkle in the light. It was all gorgeous.

She could see why Hitsugaya loved it so much...

As she cut through the courtyard by the 8th Division, she felt childish and stuck her tongue out and caught the snowflakes that fell. She remembered previous Winters. She smiled at the one Winter when she had a snowball fight with her Taicho. He cheated of course. But it was still fun.

She noted that the Winters she spent with her Taicho, were much more fun than the Winters from her childhood with Gin. Mostly because her Taicho was actually _with_ her most the season.

When she made it home, she locked the door and instantly stripped herself of her cold clothes and hopped into the shower. A nice, hot shower. As the hot water ran over her body, she stood thinking about Hitsugaya. For no reason at all she imagined him stepping into the shower with her. As soon as the vision went too far she snapped herself out and shut the water off. Her face red from the thought and not the heat.

She stepped out of the steamy bathroom into her bedroom, in a towel and one wrapped in her hair, and dug her sleeping clothes out of her closet. She dressed herself and placed the towel over her shoulders, and went into her kitchen for dinner.

After eating, which was some instant ramen and some rice balls, she went back into her bedroom and began reading some magazines on her bed. Fashion magazines from the world of the living were interesting.

Half an hour later, as she browsed through a formal dress catalog, she heard a knock at her door. She tossed the magazine aside and got off the bed towards the living room. Her visitor knocked again.

"I'm coming!" She called with a smile. She unlocked the door and opened it to reveal a snow-covered Hitsugaya. She stared at him, he had snow on his shoulders, in his hair, some even sticking to his thick lashes, and even snow sticking to his uniform.

"Hey." He said sheepishly, with a crooked smile. "Hey yourself," She laughed. "What happened to you, did you get stuck in a snow mound?" She grinned at his scowl.

"No, and I'll remember that comment when we go to the office tomorrow." He smirked at her pout.

"Come on in." She said and stepped aside. He walked in and she shut the door behind him. When she turned she found him by the window, watching the snow fall outside. She joined him.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" She said. His eyes glanced over at her for a second before looking back out the window and smiling softly. "Yeah."

They stared out the window for a little while before he turned to her and asked her for attention. She turned to him and watched as he rustled through his shihakusho, his cheeks reddening for a reason unknown to her.

"The reason I was gone this afternoon, was because I was searching for something. I didn't want to tell you because I wanted to surprise you with it." He said and grasped something in his shirt.

She watched, as he pulled something out of his shirt and held it out to her. She gasped at the item in his hand.

A white rose.

"What's this?" She asked, staring intently at it. "It's a rose obviously. But this is a different kind of rose. It's modern name is the Winter Rose. It's called that not just because of it's pure white petals, but because it only blooms in Winter. It's very rare to find a flower growing in Winter, especially in Soul Society, but it's been known to happen." He explained.

She stared at the rose. The drops of water on it's white petals sparkling in the light from the window.

"So I left to go find this earlier because they bloom usually when it's cold enough to snow. I was lucky enough to find a couple in the fields outside Rukongai in the North." He said. She now understood what he meant earlier when he said he was going hunting. He searched all over Soul Society, just to find this one flower, for her.

She reached out and grasped the rose, her hand partially grabbing Hitsugaya's in the process. They blushed and he let go and let her hold the flower. She looked over the rose, it was so beautiful, she stared in awe at it.

"You went all over Soul Society... just for me?" She choked. He nervously scratched the back of his head. "Y-Yeah, I guess you could say that." He said, his cheeks a bright red.

"It's so beautiful..." She murmured. "I thought you'd like it. I've wanted to show you for a long while but I never found one. I always sorta... thought it... was as beautiful as you..." He stammered, his cheeks burning.

And before he knew it, Rangiku flung her arms out towards him and engulfed him in a hug, the rose now on a table under the window. She hugged him tightly, burying her face in his neck. He was surprised and shocked by the sudden gesture. After a moment, he wrapped his arms around her waist and hugged her back.

_ In a way, his heart is like a flower._

She felt so happy. He had done something no one had ever done before. He had gone out, in freezing cold weather, just to find something just for her. That was the sweetest thing anyone had ever done for her.

_When he was young, the flower was still a seed._

_As he grew, the seed became a bud._

She pulled back slightly, still keeping the embrace, and stared into his gorgeous teal eyes. They stared right back. Then they smiled at each other. Blush on their cheeks. He surprised her by leaning forward and whispering something into her ear. His warm breath sending shivers down her spine, as well as the words he spoke. She felt her eyes widen.

_The flower shall bloom when it's ready._

_But the flower is yet to be decided._

_Could be a Daffodil, a Daisy, a Lily, a Chrysanthemum, anything._

He surprised her by leaning forward and whispering something into her ear. His warm breath sending shivers down her spine, as well as the words he spoke. She felt her eyes widen.

"I love you..."

_But to me, the flower will match his personality._

_ Icy and cool, with a root of beauty._

He lifted his head to look at her face, not really surprised by her reaction. He probably expected it. She couldn't help but feel like she was wrapped around his finger as she hungrily pressed her lips to his. He instantly responded by kissing her back. She pulled away long enough to murmur her answer.

_Now I see the flower has finally bloomed._

_It's as I predicted, but more beautiful than I imagined._

She demanded it all from him. Her hand moved up into his hair, she pressed closer into him, she stole every ounce of breath he had. He ushered her back some, and they were slowly stepping blindly until she backed into the side of the couch and fell onto it, taking him with her.

_I fully embrace this flower._

_And let it's fragrance intoxicate me.  
_

He pulled away and trailed his kisses along her jawline and down her neck. Rangiku's eyes glanced to the rose, lying on the table under the window. The shadows of the snow falling outside dancing over it.

_ I could see his heart now._

_As it bloomed into a Winter Rose..._

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Yeah, I think I'll let you kiddies use your imagination from this point on. Lol. I told you this would've been a nice winter special. But i'm proud of it anyway. ^^ I felt poetic writing this. Lol. So, tell me what you think. I'd love to hear your opinions. But please, just leave your flamers in the oven. Ha! I made a funny!

LATERZ! SoaringHellButterfly.

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